8 August 2003
The subtitling preparation and transmission package supplied by Screen includes a fully redundant DVB subtitling transmission system. The preparation of the subtitles will be through the Poliscript 3000 preparation software and the transmission modules include a Polistream MSX software package for comprehensive monitoring of the subtitle and data streams.
Kaare Fagerli, Head of Continuity and Head of subtitling projects for NRK says: NRK purchased the first Screen Subtitling System in 1982 and have continued to upgrade with Screen equipment to date. Two years ago the NRK translators’ area was equipped with the new Poliscript preparation software, therefore a natural continuation to meet the requirements for DVB subtitling (in addition to the analogue network) was to modernise the subtitle transmission equipment and install the new Polistream system.
He added, We have equipment purchased from Screen over 20 years ago that works as efficiently as the day it was installed, to us Screen Subtitling Systems represent reliability, quality and good service.
Subtitling has always been a very important part of the activity for NRK Television. 60% of all transmitted material is subtitled, this includes all foreign content, and own language subtitles required for the hard of hearing. The subtitle formats transmitted are a mixture of Teletext, and open captioning.
The Polistream system is designed to provide the broadcaster with the ability to implement, control and monitor the transmission of subtitles in a simple, cost effective and flexible manner. Developed with the careful use of proven technologies, combined with advanced new encoding, streaming, and distribution techniques, Polistream has already proved a must for broadcasters starting a new subtitling transmission path or simply upgrading their older modules.
8 August 2003
TANDBERG Television, a leading supplier of open solutions for digital broadcasting and broadband, will launch a high-density Edge QAM solution, the EQ6800, at IBC. Designed to provide unrivalled density and flexibility, the EQ6800 completes TANDBERG Television’s end-to-end solution for cable video-on-demand (VoD), which is rapidly becoming recognised as the industry’s highest performance and lowest cost per stream solution. The system integrates a number of third party solutions with TANDBERG products and also includes the Mindhouse OpenTV EPG and VoD Client, a content ingest solution for high quality video at very low bit rates and the industry’s most scalable VoD video server from Entone Technologies. TANDBERG Television’s VoD system is currently being piloted by a number of cable operators in Europe.
“Video-on-demand services are absolutely vital to the future prosperity of cable operators as they strive to expand their digital customer base, increase subscriber revenues and reduce churn. US Cable operators have recognised the benefits of a successful VoD offering and are aggressively deploying it throughout their networks. By minimising both initial investment and life-time operating costs, our complete VoD offering enables operators around the world to rapidly meet their financial objectives,” says Eric Cooney, President and CEO of TANDBERG Television.
www.tandbergtv.com
7 August 2003
The Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK), private TV broadcasters and the telecom ministry have adopted a policy of bringing forward the start of terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in the nation’s non-metropolitan districts from late 2006. The three metropolitan areas surrounding Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya have agreed to start full broadcasts in December this year.
In districts other than those three areas, the broadcasters and ministry agreed to start, in fiscal 2004 in principle, the process of adjusting the antenna mechanisms of existing TV sets in households to avert interference of broadcast signals, which would otherwise occur after the start of digital broadcasts.
BBC Monitoring)
7 August 2003
A group of entrepreneurs which includes members of the Kibbutz Movement, left-wing Jewish activists and Palestinian businessmen, have announced that the Voice of Peace radio, closed in 1993, will start broadcasting again from Ramallah on 4 November 2003. The station says it has been allocated a frequency by the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Communications.
But the announcement has infuriated those close to the original station’s founder, Abie Nathan. The original Voice of Peace (VOP), a non-political humanitarian station, broadcast from a ship outside Israeli territorial waters. Israeli journalist Mike Brand, a friend and confidante of Abie Nathan, says that the new group calling themselves the Voice Of Peace have no legal right to use the name and its jingles.
Brand says the new group want their station to be a political station, whereas Nathan’s supporters are working on an alternative plan which avoids politics altogether, and adheres to the format of the old VOP, with a humanitarian slant.
7 August 2003
Radio For Peace International (RFPI), which has been operating since 1987 by mutual agreement on the university campus in El Rodeo, Costa Rica, has been served with an eviction notice from the university. The radio station’s access gate was locked with chains and patrolled by armed guards, and the radio station was advised to vacate its facilities in two weeks.
According to General Manager James Latham, the unexplained and legally questionable decision to evict RFPI threatens to silence the voice of peace on international airwaves. “This is more than an eviction, this is about the right to free speech,” he sais.”What is most shocking and sad is that this action comes from an international peace organization.”
University for Peace, a United Nations-mandated university established in 1980, invited RFPI in 1985 to build and manage its own office and studios on the university’s Costa Rica campus. Consequently RFPI constructed studios and transmitters, and has been broadcasting messages of peace and social justice as well as daily United Nations programming. Says James Latham: Instead of focusing on how to eliminate a fellow peace organization, we need to channel our energy toward eliminating war, poverty and hunger.
6 August 2003
OILspace, the global provider of online services for the energy industry, has partnered with BBC Monitoring to enhance the authority and scope of global energy-related news to the 600 international subscribers to OILspaces OILwatch service. A specially filtered energy feed from BBC Monitoring combined with OILwatchs current news feeds from Dow Jones newswires, Platts and Reuters now give OILwatch customers unprecedented access to essential energy and geo-political news from around the world. This is the first time that BBC Monitoring Energy News will be made available to such a large commercial audience and is offered to all OILwatch real-time news customers at no extra charge.
News from BBC Monitoring is often faster than from agency feeds, which can put energy professionals in an advantageous position. Local reports of pipeline explosions, rumours of coups, terrorist attacks, strikes or political strife in oil producing countries can cause fluctuations in oil prices and share valuation. Hearing this news more swiftly will enable energy professionals to make more competitive commercial decisions.
We were impressed at the speed with which BBC Monitoring reports key stories from important oil regions such as the Middle East as they break. We know that our customers will value this additional insight into developments in key oil markets. In the near future we hope to offer OILwatch subscribers access to country specific geo-political news from BBC Monitoring for the analyst and risk management communities, said Steve Hellman, CEO of OILspace.
